Playing by own rules
lauramae117
I just wanted to share our experience at dinner yeasetday. My son,
11, daughter, 2 and myself went out for pizza last night. The pizza
place we go to has recently added some wooden Tic Tac Toe boards to
its things for children to do while they wait, and Uriah pickied up a
board and pieces to play with.
Though we did play one short game (he and I ALWAYS tie), he and the
baby managed to spend the entire time we were there (nearly an hour)
playing with the game--stacking the pieces in various, and ever more
complicated ways. Creating little games to play together and with
her doll, making pyramids, rolling the O's, trying to roll the Xs.
It was amazing to me to see all the different things they could think
to do at their seat with that piece of wood and nine wooden Xs & Os.
I said to Uriah, "now this is the difference between an unschooled
child and a public schooled child--the public schooled child would
only know to play the actual game with these pieces, and you two have
entertained yourselves this whole time with them--while not even
playing the game!"
Life is Good. Laura
11, daughter, 2 and myself went out for pizza last night. The pizza
place we go to has recently added some wooden Tic Tac Toe boards to
its things for children to do while they wait, and Uriah pickied up a
board and pieces to play with.
Though we did play one short game (he and I ALWAYS tie), he and the
baby managed to spend the entire time we were there (nearly an hour)
playing with the game--stacking the pieces in various, and ever more
complicated ways. Creating little games to play together and with
her doll, making pyramids, rolling the O's, trying to roll the Xs.
It was amazing to me to see all the different things they could think
to do at their seat with that piece of wood and nine wooden Xs & Os.
I said to Uriah, "now this is the difference between an unschooled
child and a public schooled child--the public schooled child would
only know to play the actual game with these pieces, and you two have
entertained yourselves this whole time with them--while not even
playing the game!"
Life is Good. Laura
k
Laura. We get a lot more mileage from games by not playing the intended
games or making up our own rules.
It's one thing to play a video game and be competitive with yourself and
quite another to lose a board game when you've played your best. Especially
at 4. A little embarrassing maybe. I love to find ways (and it's a
challenge) to play so that everyone wins.
Like with Connect4 ... how many rows can *we* make? I can do a little
math, I thought, and find out. Yet the actual turnout was more than I had
figured on. If you can count each piece more than once, there's lots more
rows you can make. Now what kind of picture does it make? Ds loved that
idea too and laughed because he says it's silly.
I bought several much cheaper versions of board games at $5 a piece. They
were at a place called Family Dollar and were these neat little travel
compact versions. Ds loves these little games. I've noticed he likes
miniatures.
~Katherine
games or making up our own rules.
It's one thing to play a video game and be competitive with yourself and
quite another to lose a board game when you've played your best. Especially
at 4. A little embarrassing maybe. I love to find ways (and it's a
challenge) to play so that everyone wins.
Like with Connect4 ... how many rows can *we* make? I can do a little
math, I thought, and find out. Yet the actual turnout was more than I had
figured on. If you can count each piece more than once, there's lots more
rows you can make. Now what kind of picture does it make? Ds loved that
idea too and laughed because he says it's silly.
I bought several much cheaper versions of board games at $5 a piece. They
were at a place called Family Dollar and were these neat little travel
compact versions. Ds loves these little games. I've noticed he likes
miniatures.
~Katherine
On 6/23/08, lauramae117 <lauramae117@...> wrote:
>
> I just wanted to share our experience at dinner yeasetday. My son,
> 11, daughter, 2 and myself went out for pizza last night. The pizza
> place we go to has recently added some wooden Tic Tac Toe boards to
> its things for children to do while they wait, and Uriah pickied up a
> board and pieces to play with.
>
> Though we did play one short game (he and I ALWAYS tie), he and the
> baby managed to spend the entire time we were there (nearly an hour)
> playing with the game--stacking the pieces in various, and ever more
> complicated ways. Creating little games to play together and with
> her doll, making pyramids, rolling the O's, trying to roll the Xs.
> It was amazing to me to see all the different things they could think
> to do at their seat with that piece of wood and nine wooden Xs & Os.
>
> I said to Uriah, "now this is the difference between an unschooled
> child and a public schooled child--the public schooled child would
> only know to play the actual game with these pieces, and you two have
> entertained yourselves this whole time with them--while not even
> playing the game!"
>
> Life is Good. Laura
>
>
>
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